Rebound Migraine - Aimovig
Hi everyone,
I have been struggling with hormonal migraines which worsened into chronic migraine for over 3 years now since the age of 25. Unfortunately this year that led me to being bed ridden about 5 days every week this year.
Having tried all oral therapies and triptan and Botox last year. I was started on Aimovig at the end of May. For the first month I saw rapid improvement over the weeks and things were looking up for me, managing to cook for myself and get out a little bit.
However, sadly this last three weeks my worse migraine symptoms are back, vomiting, dizziness, motion sickness and pain. I wondered if anyone had if had experience of this and if it was a rebound effect which may improve again after my third injection or an increase in frequency of dose?
I was just so optimistic with my initial improvement as this has been the only time something worked in over 3 years.
Thanks.
Thanks so much for sharing some of your journey with us. So sorry to hear you've had such challenges with migraine over the last several years but glad that Aimovig was of help for you. Aimovig is one of a new family of treatment options available called CGRPs. We are hearing people are having varying responses with these treatments. Some people are reporting great responses that fade with time- others whose responses get better with time. First, yes, you can talk about adjusting your dose with your doctor. Some doctors allow a double (loading) dose long term. Aimovig is one of several CGRP options and if one doesn't work for you over the long haul, it may be worth trying another. Most doctors encourage patients to stick with each option for a three month trial to observe the potential ups and downs and fully evaluate the efficacy of any given treatment.
If Aimovig isn't working consistently for you, you may want to try Emgality or Ajovy- these are other CGRP options which are in the same family but that work in a slightly different way. We've heard of many community members for whom Aimovig doesn't work but one of the other two does. Here's how/why they work differently: https://migraine.com/living-migraine/some-cgrps-work-others-dont
Here'a a helpful breakdown of all the CGRPs, if you're interested:
https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/what-are-cgrps
The point is, it's great that you've had some good response with Aimovig- and there are many options in that family of drugs that may now be worth exploring.
We are thinking of you and here to support you and provide any information if you have any questions. Warmly, Holly (migraine.com team).
